1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to substituted imidazolyl-alkyl-piperazine and diazepine derivatives, the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, methods of making these compounds, and pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds. The compounds of this invention are calcium entry blockers having selectivity for cerebral blood vessels, and have protective activity against some of the deleterious effects resultant upon cerebral ischemia. The compounds of this invention are, therefore, useful for treating mammals having a variety of disease states, such as stroke, epilepsy, hypertension, angina, migraine, arrhythmia, thrombosis, embolism and also for treatment of spinal injuries.
2. Background Information and Related Art
Substituted piperazines have been described as having a variety of pharmaceutical activities.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,956 and its continuation-in-part U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,098, disclose a series of substituted piperazines to be useful as tranquilizers, sedatives, adrenolytic agents, hypothermic agents, anti-convulsants, hypotensive agents and cardiovascular agents. For example, in the '956 patent, each atom of the piperazine ring could be substituted with a plurality of radicals, for example, the 1-position with lower alkyl, benzhydryl, phenyl-lower-alkyl or phenyl-lower-alkenyl (optionally substituted on the benzene ring), among other substituents. The piperazine includes a lower alkylene (1 to 6 carbons) chain at the 4-position with an optionally-substituted heterocyclic ring at the end. Among the heterocyclic rings encompassed by the '956 disclosure is a 4(5)-imidazolyl radical. The heterocyclic ring in the '098 patent is limited the 4(5)-imidazolyl radical, but no substitutions are disclosed.
Compounds having selective vascular relaxant activity, such as those of the present invention, have remained desired.